Hanna fell silent for a moment, and her grip on Ema's hands tightened. It wasn't the force of oppression, but rather the gesture of someone trying not to collapse under the weight of their own memories. Her eyes, usually so bright and piercing, clouded over with a deep, sincere grief.

  "No, darling. You must believe me... what happened in your city was not our doing. It wasn't a plan, it wasn't ambition. It was an anomaly, a terrifying rift in the very fabric of the world that we haven't encountered in centuries of our existence," Hanna began, her voice quieting to a painful whisper.

  "At first, it seemed almost like a miracle. Our observers reported that people were happy. That laughter echoed in the streets. But it was the wrong kind of laughter, Ema. It was a hysterical, contagious sound that respected no tragedy. We saw mothers laughing over their children's graves. We saw neighbors grinning at each other while their sanity vanished beneath their hands. Then came the euphoria of violence. There was no hatred in it; there was a twisted joy in crushing bones and spilling blood in broad daylight. As if the whole city were dancing in the ecstasy of its own destruction."

  Hanna closed her eyes as if trying to push the images away. "And then the earth itself began to fight back. Asphalt cracked under the pressure of those black, thorny bushes that grew faster than you could breathe. The air grew heavy with the stench of sulfur and rot that came from nothing living. We sent our best people there, our brothers and sisters, to find the cause, to stitch the wound closed. But they just... vanished. Their connection to us was severed as if the void had swallowed them."

  Her voice broke, and a single, lonely tear rolled down her cheek, which she didn't even attempt to wipe away. "Only in utter desperation did we decide on the ultimate step. We tried to rewrite the reality of the city. We wanted to erase it from existence, from history, and from memory, just to stop the horror. But the place resisted the ritual with unexpected ferocity. It was like trying to hold a collapsing star with bare hands. So many of my friends fell during that ritual, so many noble Architects... they simply breathed their last right there on the boundary, burned by a power we underestimated. They sacrificed themselves so the rot wouldn't spread to the rest of the world. And yet, we didn't succeed completely. You remained. As a living testimony to our defeat and our effort."

  Ema felt tears welling up in her eyes. The grief radiating from Hanna was too real to be faked. She squeezed her hand firmly, and a memory from the edge of the forest lit up in her mind like lightning. She saw the black figures, the cars that belonged to neither police nor army, and heard the chaotic screaming as people tried to revive their fallen comrades right in the mud. Now she understood what she had seen. She had seen Architects losing a battle against something indescribable.

  "I believe you," Ema whispered, and in that moment, she meant it sincerely. She felt that Hanna wasn't her captor, but an ally in the trauma that had scarred them both.

  Hanna took a deep breath and shook off the sadness. "The past is terrifying, but it no longer exists. We must live in the present. Thank you for listening to me. Now, Heinrich will take you to an introduction that is key to your future."

  Heinrich led her through a labyrinth of corridors to a massive greenhouse that looked like a crystal palace. Inside, a humid warmth prevailed, and the air was heavy with the scent of exotic plants.

  In the middle of the greenhouse stood a man. He was tall, elegant, and focused on pinching thorns from the red roses he held in his arms. When they reached him, Heinrich bowed and quietly left.

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  The man turned. He had a sympathetic, gallant face and a spark of intelligence in his eyes. With a smile, he approached Ema and handed her the bouquet of roses he had just stripped of their threat. "Welcome. My name is Friedrich von Riese. It is an honor to finally meet you." He kissed her hand so lightly that Ema shivered.

  They walked among plants Ema had never seen—flowers that changed color according to the light, or plants whose leaves glowed softly. Friedrich was witty and attentive. By a blue orchid, he gently held her back. "Better not smell that one; it's beautiful, but its pollen would put even an elephant to sleep," he laughed, and his laughter was genuine and warm.

  Finally, they sat at a small table where a pot of tea was already steaming. "How do you like it here, Ema?" he asked as he poured her a cup. "Everyone is so nice to me. I still don't quite understand what I did to deserve this, but... I am incredibly grateful," Ema exhaled, feeling a blush creep into her cheeks under his steady, warm gaze. She lowered her eyes to the tea cup and added, "I hope I'll be able to repay you all somehow one day."

  Friedrich's expression, hitherto so warm and encouraging, suddenly softened into melancholy. He placed the empty cup on the saucer with a gentle clink and fixed his deep eyes on Ema.

  "I am genuinely glad to hear that, Ema. I am grateful even for your gratitude," he began, a light, almost boyish smile settling on his face. "You are truly wonderful to think this way. But I want you to understand one thing. Once you become an official member of our family, everything will change. You will gain a background you never dreamed of, the protection of our guards and our power. You will be able to study, to devote yourself to what fulfills you... But the condition, the necessary gateway to all of that, is for you to truly become that member."

  His smile slowly faded, and Friedrich shifted to a tone of quiet, decent sorrow. As if the words pained him.

  "You probably realize this, Ema... Your situation is... complicated. For an ordinary person, you practically do not exist. You have no documents, no past, no one to stand up for you before human law. You are a shadow," he said, looking away for a moment at the blooming orchids. "But that is the lesser threat. As an Architect, you are immensely valuable to the outside world, to those who stand outside our Order. External existences would have far too much interest in your power. In the hands of other, less noble Architects, you would become a mere tool. They would abuse your gift to push their own twisted ambitions. You would be a prisoner in a gilded cage, or worse..."

  Friedrich paused and swallowed hard. Genuine fear glinted in his eyes.

  "They might attempt extraction," he whispered. "To take your essence by force. It is a process that... that ends in the complete erasure of existence. The thought genuinely terrifies me."

  After a moment of silence, however, his face brightened again. Sadness gave way to a soothing, gallant smile.

  "That is why I believe the best solution for you is to marry someone important from our family. Someone with weight and a name. That way, you would be formally protected from the human world and from those Architects who would wish you harm. No one would dare even look at you with the intent to abuse you, knowing the entire House of von Riese stands behind you."

  He stepped a bit closer to her; his voice was now incredibly soft but underscored with urgency.

  "I know it is a lot of information at once, Ema. But unfortunately, we do not have much time. Circumstances I cannot speak of are pushing us toward quick decisions. Please, let it run through your head and consider your options. I am not saying this as an ultimatum, but as a man who genuinely cares about your future."

  Ema felt her throat tighten. Friedrich was right, and she knew it. Not many options truly remained. Either accept the family's protection through union or remain endangered prey in a wild world she didn't understand. To be part of this luxury, have advantages and study... or risk extraction and annihilation?

  At that moment, Friedrich reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. With a slow movement, he opened it. Inside lay a ring whose gemstone had such a deep, freezing blue color it looked like it was cut from eternal ice. The greenhouse light refracted within it into thousands of cold sparks.

  Ema stared at it, spellbound, unable to tear her eyes away from the stone. It was the most beautiful and simultaneously most terrifying object she had ever seen in her life.